


The One Where Tony Learns To Be A Grownup

by HeadmasterFelix, Luttvicithor



Series: WinterIron AU [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sugar Daddy, Boyfriends Tony Stark/Bucky Barnes, Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers Feels, M/M, Multi, Soulmates Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers Angst, Sugar Daddy Tony Stark, Tony Angst, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-17 12:30:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17560424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeadmasterFelix/pseuds/HeadmasterFelix, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luttvicithor/pseuds/Luttvicithor
Summary: Follows from part one of the series.AU where Bucky found his way out of Hydra control long before Steve got pulled out of the ice. He and Tony got together when Bucky was working as an escort.Things have been great. They've been together for many months, their relationship is well-established and they're genuinely in love. Tony feels like his life is perfect.And then Captain America gets pulled out of the ice.





	1. Chapter 1

It's almost like a dream. Bucky doesn't dare to believe it when the first reports come in. He also has a feeling Tony might know more but it doesn't feel right to push it. But then it's suddenly official. Captain America is alive.

\---------

"Do I look okay like this?" He's decided not to wear his old uniform. Just some jeans and a white t-shirt. His hair is still long but he's shaved and for the first time in forever, Bucky is _...bubbly._

"You look fine," Tony says with as much neutrality as possible. He's been anxious since the first rumor and fear about what this will do to their relationship has only gotten stronger over the last few, short days. He so badly wanted to tell Bucky that there's nothing he can do, no way he can get them access to Steve before he's cleared to rejoin the public, but the fact is that he really, truly does love him. He loves his boyfriend more than anything, and that's why he did what it took to get them access the day after Steve wakes up. Of course, he's not perfect, and if he had known it was already going to be this painful, he may have chosen differently.

Buck swallows one more time and looks back at Tony. "I still can't believe it. I'm going to have my brother back. My... wingman. My Captain." _My soulmate._ He pulls Tony close and kisses him deeply, cupping his jaw with both hands. "He's going to remember me, right? There's no way he could have forgotten everything?"

The cynic is back and it's hard to feel like that kiss has anything to do with him, like he's anything more than a placeholder. He's pretty adept at shoving that down and he looks into Bucky's eyes with a soft smile and reassuring voice. "Of course he's going to remember you. You remembered him, right?"

"Yeah, first thing when I woke up in the Hudson river without my arm." He takes a deep breath. But slowly, Bucky becomes aware of Tony's discomfort. "You have no idea how grateful I am that you pulled some strings. I owe you big time, baby."

"You never owe me for anything, Buck, okay? Whatever happens." He lets the implication of what might happen just linger, not actually spoken, and pulls away from Bucky to grab up his phone and wallet. "Ready?"

"Whatever happens?" Buck frowns and grabs Tony's arm, pulling him back. "What... What are you talking about?"

Tony stiffens, his skin prickles as he tries to keep his feelings from spilling out. With a deep breath, he shrugs and faces Bucky fully. "I mean whatever happens. However things go with you and Steve. I never want you to feel like you owe it to me to stick around and I don't want you to feel weird about it when you guys move into that house in a few weeks"

"Like I owe it to you to stick around?" His hold on Tony tightens. "When I told you, many many months ago, that I used to be in love with Steve, I never thought he'd come back. And he doesn't know about that. I never told him. You're my boyfriend, he's my family."

His resolve holds. "I never had a good relationship with mine, but even I know family comes before boyfriends. Look, I just... I spent my whole life wanting... no, _needing_ something, and now that I have it, I hate myself for waiting so long. Just don't do that to yourself, okay?"

"You've needed me your whole life?" Bucky grins crookedly. "Charmer."

Tony rolls his eyes, but it's purely a defense mechanism. He's blushing faintly. It's kind of impossible not to when Bucky looks at him that way... "Yeah, yeah, can we just go now?"

"No, not yet." Bucky pulls Tony up and into his arms so he can wrap his arms around his waist. Backing them against the next wall, he kisses him deeply and passionately, drawing it out until he can feel Tony needing air. "Now we can."

Tony hates it at first, but swiftly that layer dissolves into what it really is, fear that they don't have many more of these left. That urges him to treat it like it's their last, like everything will be different next time they kiss, and he pours himself into it. He drapes his arms over Bucky's shoulders and tangles fingers in his hair as he keeps their bodies as close as possible. His eyes are red when Bucky finally pulls away and he's got no words.

Bucky's frowning, brows furrowed. "I... I don't know what's going on in that genius brain of yours but I hate it." He kisses Tony again. After a moment of hesitation, he offers. "We don't have to go. I can wait."

He shakes his head. "Why, so I can be like this even longer? You're the best thing in my life, Buck, I'm just scared and not going isn't going to make that go away."

"Okay. You're the boss." Gently he sets him down. "Let's go."


	2. Chapter 2

Tony was quiet on the ride over, and having finally admitted to his feelings, he was able to let them simply show rather than trying to build a wall between them.

He got them through the security of the S.H.I.E.L.D. medical facility Steve is being kept in, made sure any questions about their presence was answered with minimal fuss, but he stops outside the door to Steve's room. "I'm, um... I'm gonna go down and grab some coffee. Maybe see if Maria is around. Just text me when you're done and I'll meet you wherever."

Bucky knows better than to push it. "Okay. You're welcome to join us at any time." One more quick kiss and he lets him go before knocking on the door.

Steve's been a mix of intense emotions all morning, since he was told Bucky was still living and was coming to see him. Excitement's been on the forefront, of course, as well as relief that Bucky lived so long and hope that he's had a good life. But still, he isn't sure anything could prepare him to see his best friend suddenly over half a century older and he's nervous both about how he'll look and if they'll really still get along after all this time, that nervousness growing more and more as he continues to make up stories in his head about what Bucky's life has been like.

Stories that Steve starts to really believe. To the point that when Bucky enters, Steve just smiles politely and shifts to try to look behind him, sure that his friend must be just right behind the son he's apparently brought with him.

"Captain." Bucky closes the door behind himself, trying to figure out what is going on in Steve's head. "Do you remember me?"

When the door closes, Steve looks really confused because that... It can't... He furrows his brow a little, wants what he's seeing to be real so badly but it's hard to understand. "Did... did I seriously misunderstand someone? It can't be a day past the 60s if you..." he gestures to all of Bucky.

"Remember when I fell off of that damn train?" Bucky smiles crookedly. "Hydra got me. I was their toy soldier for one heck of a long time but eventually lost my arm somehow. I don't remember most of it. Just woke up in the Hudson river one morning with one limb short."

He feels a serious pang of guilt at that phrase, 'Hydra got me.' "Are they why you still look like a kid?" Steve teases him warmly. "70 years later and you've still got the good looks to pick up any girl on the boardwalk. That is _not_ what I was expecting."

"They super-soldiered me. The same serum they gave you only... More red, less stars and stripes I guess." Shrugging, he runs a hand through his hair, suddenly feeling weirdly self-conscious in regards to his looks. "I still don't look as great as you do, Rogers."

His cheeks pink slightly and he looks away, charmed but he knows this game, knows not to acknowledge it out loud. He changes the subject to something he doesn't need to dance around. "So, your arm. Vibranium? It looks shinier than my shield."

"Yep, Stark made just like your toy." He grins. "They had a support and research program for veterans who had lost a limb. I'm the only one who's brain accepted the connectors apparently but yeah, it works perfectly."

He laughs and shakes his head in disbelief. "Howard's still inventing? So far, the world is not nearly at different as I thought it would be..."

"His son. Tony Stark. The superhero of this century." Bucky swallows. "Also happens to be my boyfriend."

It's always been so easy to brush off Bucky disappearing into a room with some girl, but that word actually makes Steve's expression falter. "Oh." He picks himself back up with lightning speed, though, smiling and chuckling slightly. "He was hooking you up with the new arm, you started chatting and the rest was history, huh?"

"No, not at all." Bucky drops his gaze, a hint of shame on his features. "I never met him during the arm thing. But because that metal thing is so fucking valuable, I couldn't get any sort of compensation or support from the state. And I didn't want to work as a soldier anymore." He sighs. "So I chose the other thing I was good at. I became an escort. Fancy whore."

That's hard to hear and his anger shows. "You're a war hero and they just... what, slapped on a prosthetic and said good luck, don't call us?" He shakes his head and sighs. "I mean, our time in Europe definitely gave me some perspective on that whole industry, but still. You shouldn't have _had_ to do that, you should've been given the tools to be able to do anything you want."

Bucky smiles, his love for Steve quite obvious in his eyes at those words. "It all worked out. Tony employed me as his boy toy and made sure I've got more than enough money for the rest of my life. He even bought our old place in Brooklyn for me."

"Wait, so..." He looks a little confused, "So, he's paying you to be his boyfriend?"

"That's how it started out. But it's not like that anymore."

"And you... you live back home? With him?"

"He has his own penthouse in New York and some other places all over the world. I live alone but we spend a lot of time together. But no, our home is... Ours if you want it to be. I made them put your name into the papers as well. Just in case." He smiles crookedly. "Stupid hope."

The way Steve looks at him, it's so _him_ , the hopefulness, the idealism, the reliance on Bucky, everything that's been with him since long before the serum. " _Ours?_ We get to live together?"

Fuck. Bucky just nods, not trusting his voice to work at that sight. But he can't stand it anymore, he steps forward and pulls Steve into his arms, holding him tight. "Fuck, Stevie..."

Steve wraps his arms around best friend and his feelings finally start to really unpack. The grief, guilt, and relief all at the forefront. He unravels, crying gently into Bucky's shoulder and telling him over and over how much he needs him and how he can't imagine having to do all of this by himself.

Bucky strokes over his back and just holds Steve, taking it all in and giving him words of reassurance. "You're not alone and you never will be ever again, I promise."

After a few long moments, Steve pulls away to look at Bucky's face. He hesitates, tries to talk himself down from it, but a second later he's following his gut and kissing him intensely. All that had ever held him back before was his ~~certainty~~ willful ignorance of Bucky’s sexuality.

Absolutely stunned, Bucky can't help but return the kiss for a moment. His eyes flutter shut and he grabs a hold of Steve's shirt. But within a few seconds, he pulls away. "Steve! What... How... Since when?"

"I, I'm, sorry. Sorry. That was, you have a boyfriend, I crossed a line, I'm sorry." He tries to pull away.

"Yes, I do have a boyfriend who is scared as hell he's going to lose me to you ever since I told him you were the love of my life," Bucky says weakly. "I.... I never thought you'd return..."

"I'm the love of your life?" He's breathless. "I love you too."

Bucky shakes his head, smiling weakly. "I had so much regret for never saying anything all those years but now... I never would have said a word, I never would have expected you to be interested in men."

"Who said anything about being interested in men? I'm interested in you, Bucky. Just you."

That should not feel so good. "I love you, Steve. I have so for as long as I can remember and living in a time where it's acceptable to do so is… amazing. But I have a boyfriend who's one of the most amazing men you'll ever meet. He's nothing like his father but just as much of a philanthropist and a genius."

With a slow nod, Steve pulls back a little and tries to smile. "Yeah. Yeah, you love him so he must be pretty great."

"He is. And he might not be my soulmate but he deserves better than me leaving him for you, just because you're back and decided to kiss me."

" _Just_ because I'm back and decided to kiss you? So you're saying if I did a little more to earn it, that could change?" He's teasing, or trying to, but even he knows it's in bad taste. He ducks his head. "Sorry, that was... I'm... just gonna shut up now."

It's obviously painful for Bucky to have this conversation but he pushes through. "Take some time to arrive in this world. Explore. Live. Find out who you are and what you want. Tony might get bored of me. Things might change. Right now I can't just choose you over him, I really can't." Shamefully and quietly he adds: "As much as part of me wants to."

Steve nods his understanding, and his agreement. "I've wanted to tell you how I feel for so long and when I lost you, never letting it out became one of the biggest regrets of my life. But you're here," he smiles. He drops his hands to take Bucky's in them. "You're here and we both said it and that's more than I thought I would ever get. I can be happy without anything more."

"We're having a present and a future together," Bucky confirms once again. "Let's just focus on that." Giving Steve's hands a squeeze, he lets go. "Would you like to meet Tony? He brought me here."

God, it hurts. There's a crack in the dam now and patching it is closing the leak but it's still sending ripples of weakness through the rest of it. "Do you want me to meet him? Does _he_ want to meet _me_? I don't want to make anything worse on anyone..." It's been a very long time since he talked about himself that way, nervous that his existence is an inconvenience to others.

"You're my family. So yeah, I would like you to meet him. And I think he'll feel better about you once he knows you," Bucky explains. "But it's perfectly fine if you want to wait or feel uncomfortable. I'm happy if you're happy."

Steve sits on that a second and then nods slowly. "I'm happy if you're happy,” he repeats slowly, agreeing like it's grounding him and giving him his perspective back. "We can do that, yeah."

Bucky pulls out his phone and sends a quick text to Tony, asking if he wants to meet Steve and chat a little.

Smile warming up, Steve comments, "It's really always been that simple for us, hasn't it? 'I'm happy if you're happy.' It's always been true."


	3. Chapter 3

Tony wasn't able to find Maria. Or Nick. Or any of the half-dozen other people who work here that he can trust himself around, so he grabbed a coffee in the cafeteria and took a seat. Thankfully for everyone involved, Natasha slid into the seat across from him about two seconds before one of the hot young nurses was about to. She's been keeping him distracted, keeping him harmlessly flirting with her so he doesn't have the opportunity to be a complete, self-sabotaging idiot. Nat smiles when Tony picks up his phone, and gives him a stern look when he sets it down like he isn't going to answer. It's enough of a push in the right direction, so he answers back with a "Sure."

`Cafeteria? We'll find you.`

Bucky smiles at Steve and gestures him to follow. "Come on, old man. I really want some coffee."

 

Tony and Steve are equally nervous but they are _very_ different people and so is their response to that feeling.

Steve lets Bucky take the lead, tries to stay positive and good-natured, easily extending a hand and a smile when they're introduced to each other.

Tony, on the other hand, slips right into his persona, but it's worse than the one Bucky sees him put on every time he leaves the house. It's right up there with the time they went to an event together and Tony had to deal with some of his father's old rivals, ones that never missed a chance to imply that Tony was one of Howard's many failures or mismanaged projects. He's standing straight, his presence is taking up the room, smile is charming but absolutely fake, and he shakes Steve's hand like he owns the building. Which, in fairness, he might.

Nat shoots Bucky a sympathetic look and leans back, letting herself fade into the background so she can watch. This is not a show she can pass up.

"Captain Rogers, wow, great to meet you. You really are as handsome as they always said."

"Um," that comment catches him off guard a little, as it was meant to, but he doesn't falter much. "Mr. Stark. Good to meet you, too."

Buck sighs softly and gives Nat a smile but then just tries to do his best. "Tony, this is my best friend Steve. Steve, Tony Stark, my boyfriend." He steps next to Tony and wraps his arm around his waist, trying to mostly ignore the alpha-male-show.

That gesture certainly does something to Tony. It doesn't exactly relax him, but he does let his presence tone down some. Steve's eyes dart to Bucky's hand but he manages to have no reaction.

"Steve?" He asks in response to Bucky, then looks to the man himself and asks, "Can I call you Steve?"

"Yeah, of course," he says with a smile of relief. "Can I call you Tony?" It's really just a rhetorical question, a show of politeness, reciprocation is universally assumed.

"Mmm, I'd rather you didn't," is how Tony answers, apparently being quite serious. "So, coffee? What's everyone having? I'm buying."

Bucky bites back a growl. "Of course you can call him Tony, he's just kidding," he says firmly, making damn sure Tony can hear him. "And I think just plain black coffee for me. Cap?"

Tony rolls his eyes slightly but he isn't about to actively, openly go against his boyfriend so he smiles and plays it off like he was really just kidding.

"Um... I'm not sure I understand the question. Are there different kinds of coffee now?"

"Yeah, remember that small town in Italy? Where it tasted completely different? It's like that ten times worse all over the world now," Bucky explains with a chuckle. "They have variations in strength and brewing and then they put different flavoured syrups in there, milk, whipped cream... still, plain black will usually get you the same as it did 70 years ago. So that's what I drink."

"Syrup and whipped cream? So coffee is a dessert now?" He looks perplexed, but follows as Tony starts to lead them over to the counter. "I mean, that sounds kind of interesting but I wouldn't know where to start... I dunno. You know what I like, Bucky, will you pick something out for me?" Which, honest to God is not in any way the catty move it might sound like, at least not in Steve's intention, but it still makes Tony just a tad more salty.

Bucky honestly doesn't notice either but he nods. "Sure. I think you'd really enjoy a caramel latte with that sweet tooth of yours." He chuckles and then takes Tony's hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it. "Will you pick for me, baby?"

The cynical part of him wants to get more upset, take that as proof that Steve was just trying to imply whatever cutesy thing Bucky is now. But it's too damn hard to stay mad, let alone get even more upset, with Bucky touching him and looking at him like that. So it actually works, gets him to chill out a little more, and it's written all over the sentimental way he smiles at the gesture and then fails at getting his mask completely back on.

"Okay, so we'll take a caramel latte for Cap, a..." he hesitates, it now dawning on him that he usually gets that for himself. "Um, I'll just do a mocha," because God forbid he drink the same thing as his new mortal enemy. "And then another one with cinnamon for Buck."

"Mmh, good choice." Bucky smiles and keeps holding Tony's hand. On the inside, he knows Steve is hurting and part of him desperately wants to try to make them both happy immediately. But he also knows Steve is the bigger, better man in a situation like this.

Once they have their drinks and seats again, Bucky tries to show both of them how amazing they are. "Steve is an incredible tactician and you're a genius, obviously, I bet you two could have fun playing chess with each other. You've definitely both beaten me a hundred times each."

Steve smiles. He's not sure how good of an idea it would be to _actually_ be competing with this guy, but it makes him feel good that Bucky is trying.

Unlike Tony. "I don't really _do_ chess." Thankfully, he immediately realizes how insufferable he sounds and tries to course correct. "But, um, there are a ton of other strategy games these days, I'm sure we could find something.”

Biting back a comment, Bucky just squeezes Tony's thigh underneath the table. He changes the topic. "So, any idea when you get to go home?" he asks Steve. "Are they still running checks to make sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. I mean, I think a lot of the tests are done, I just need a plan. Where I'm going and what I'm doing with myself. This guy, um, Director Fury, I think it is, is really pushing this thing he's calling the Avengers Initiative?"

Tony just about spits out his coffee.

Bucky arches an eyebrow and looks at Tony but doesn't comment. "Well, you have a home, as I said. Work-wise: you still wanna be a hero?"

Steve's eyes linger on Tony a second. He wants to ask. Instead, he looks back to Bucky and gives a small shrug. "I don't know. I don't think I'm really qualified anymore, you need to know the country or the world that you're trying to protect and I'm just..." he lifts his coffee as example. "I'm out of touch."

"You're also Captain America and a really fucking fast learner," Buck offers with a wink. "And I'm willing to help wherever I can. Just as long as you're happy with the path you end up on."

"Don't... don't do the Avengers thing," he can't help but chime in now. "It's, there's, just... Nick's controlling and he really doesn't like it when you follow your own compass. I've been going solo for a few years now and it's... huh. Expensive. It's expensive. Okay, yeah, maybe go with Fury's offer if you want to keep it up.

Steve follows all of that just fine, except, "Solo? What..." he looks at Bucky, confused, then back to Tony. "You got the serum too?"

"No, Tony built a mechanical suit that allows him to do all kinds of things that even you and I would never be able to achieve. That's what I meant when I called him a modern day superhero. Literally," Bucky explains quickly.

"Oh. That's... that's pretty cool."

"I don't know if I'm charmed you think I look good enough I could've had the serum, or insulted because of what I must have been if _this_ is all I ended up with," Tony says with a small laugh.

In a rare moment of lighting fast WWBD thinking, Steve pulls out the smoothest line, following up without hesitation. "Of course you could've had the serum, you're at least as good looking as Bucky and I definitely know what kind of physique can hide under a good suit."

That is definitely calling for a high five later and Bucky grins. "I agree. You're absolutely gorgeous and your body is incredible."

Steve looks pretty proud of himself for that one and shoots Bucky a look that says so while Tony is distracted being charmed and completely disarmed.

Smirking, Bucky suddenly has an idea. His eyes tell Steve to watch this. "Plus, when I saw you for the first time, I had a really hard time focusing on anything but your eyes and that smile."

Tony blushes now, no hiding it, eyes fixed on Bucky's. Feeding his ego is definitely the surest way to bring the machismo down. Being told he’s great means he doesn’t have to be such an asshole to try and prove it.

Steve thinks he's catching on and tries to play too. "You had that problem too, huh? Glad it wasn't just me."

And God, Tony knows he's being ganged up on but it's real hard to be mad about it.

Buck shakes his head. "No, don't worry. I get it. I would have been almost offended if you hadn't seen how perfect he is." Smiling, he takes Tony's hand, holding his eye contact.

"Barnes," he chastises lightly, blush picking up. "You don't need to lay it on so thick." But he's so liking it.

"Need? Is that a complaint? Because I just like speaking the truth." He grins and then leans in to kiss Tony gently.

Bucky's motivations don't really matter, it doesn't even matter if it's all absolute bullshit, Tony is happy to let himself believe every word. His boyfriend has him wrapped around his finger again in no time.

Steve believes all of them, too, which is making his feelings swirl and twist up ever further, at once painful and endearing to hear that Bucky found someone he feels this way about. Mixed feelings are rarely a bad thing with Steve, though, his natural optimism leading the good feeling to start warping the pain, rather than the other way around. He drinks a bit of his coffee and is happy to let Tony have all the attention for a few moments.

Sensing that Tony is starting to relax, Bucky smiles again. "Do you know anything Steve has to watch out for before he can or should leave?"

"Don't fall into their bullshit is the number one thing. Don't sign anything without reading it. If you don't understand it, there's a good chance that's because they don't want you to. Get a lawyer to look at it. But not one of _their_ lawyers. In fact, here, just..." Tony shifts, pulls out his business card case, and hands one of them over. "If there's anything going on here that you don't like or that makes you uneasy, call me. I'll get it sorted out. Won't be the first time I've had to threaten to sue them."

Steve takes the card and he's a little taken aback by this shift, the seemingly sincere generosity. "You really think they're that bad?"

"Eh," he shrugs. "I don't think they're that bad in like, an active way. But I wouldn't put it past them to be that bad, and if anything could draw it out of them, it's the prospect of putting the world's most beloved super soldier on a leash."

Bucky nods. "They sure as hell tried with me. I didn't have Tony to back me up back then but I just refused to get involved in anything, no matter what they offered."

Remembering something, Tony gestures for Steve to hand the card back, so he does. "They didn't try to sell you on the Avengers Initiative too, did they?" He pulls a pen out of his interior jacket pocket, turns the card over, and scribbles down Bucky's cell number. Tony is taking the initiative in putting them in contact with each other again.

"They mentioned it but I cut them off right away. There's only one man under which I would be a team player again," Bucky states dryly. "What is it, exactly?"

"They want to get a bunch of us together, make us a team, and send us out to do whatever they think we should be doing, basically. We'd be there for 'global protection', whatever that means. The guy I built your arm with is the only other person, before Steve, that I knew of who'd been, um... _chatted_ with." He hands the card back over and Steve smiles as tucks it into his pocket.

"That does sound a little bit like our old agenda," Bucky mutters thoughtfully, looking over at Steve and then back at Tony. "You don't like it?"

"I don't trust agencies with biases and monetary interests to get involved in the assessment of what a global threat is. I've made too much money off of weapon sales to the US government for their war on ‘terror’ to ever have that kind of faith. If there really is some global threat, I'm sure the three of us, Banner, and whoever else, can get together and deal with it. We don't need an agency pulling our strings and making us into executioners."

Steve arches an eyebrow, "War on _terror_ , what does that mean?"

Taking a deep breath, Bucky tries to sum up what happened over the last centuries while Steve was frozen. It’s a lot to take in, even with as concise as Bucky is. "...it's one heck of a shit show,” he concludes. “So I get why a special team would help. But who'd lead that, you know? Who'd finance it?"

"As Nick presented it, financing would be from SHIELD, so... _however_ that works. My guess is mostly the US government. And um..." Tony sucks on his lip a moment, clearly hesitating. "Well, off the field, Nick would lead it. He'd be the liaison and everything, but on the field..."

"Yeah?" Bucky arches an eyebrow.

More hesitation, then a shrug as he tries not to look guilty. "Look, I completely forgot about it before I got the call from Nick two days ago, but then... it sorta... rang a bell, them finding Cap." He shifts his gaze to Steve and explains, "When I was first given the Initiative to read over, I saw something about them planning on you leading the team. Your full profile was in there, along with mine and Banner's. It was part of the reason I was so quick to say no. I wasn't about to follow a guy crazy enough to think Captain America was still alive and in any shape to be leading anything."

Buck blinks a few times, looking at Steve. There's a heavy flash of nostalgia on his features. "To the end of the line..."

Steve smiles broadly at that, feeling special in that way only Bucky can make him feel. "Well, I guess I'm grateful someone with the resources was crazy enough to go hunting for me."

Tony is surprisingly at-ease with that exchange, all things considered, but it still makes him ruffle a tiny bit. Still, progress. "Yeah, just be careful about what he wants to do with you now that he's found you."

"I'm sure Steve will be. And he's got us now, right?" Buck grins at Tony, knowing way too well how his boyfriend works.

"He's got _us_?" Well, now that Bucky puts it that way, Tony notices how helpful he's been being and it makes him silently huff. It is true, though. "Yeah, I guess he does."

With sparkling eyes, Bucky pulls Tony into another kiss. "Thank you," he murmurs quietly.

Tony just grumbles a little, not wanting to do anything more to admit that Bucky won.


	4. Chapter 4

Tony gave Bucky and Steve a bit of privacy again before they headed out, and he was somewhat quiet again on the ride home. Once they get in, Tony sheds his jacket, loses the tie, and opens his shirt a bit while he heads towards the kitchen. "So, how do you think it went?"

"He couldn't believe I was still his age at first. But once we got there..." Bucky smiles. "Not a lot of things have changed."

Retrieving a bottle of green juice from the fridge, he leans against the counter and opens it up. "Not much except that you kissed him, right?" Casually, he takes a drink.

 _Of fucking course._ "Yeah, he kissed me and I didn't pull away immediately, I kissed back for a moment." There's no point in fighting over this.

Tony blinks several times, staring, completely stunned until anger starts to rise. "Wait... what!? He-... what? And then you just acted normal all day?!"

Bucky blinks. "Did you take a shot in the dark with that?"

"Yes! Jesus, and I expected to be wrong," he huffs. "I don't even know what to say to you right now."

"Why the fuck would you play a game like that with me?" Bucky is still more incredulous than angry but it's slowly changing. "Steve kissed me, I got overwhelmed and didn't stop him right away but I told him that there's no way we're going to be a thing because I'm with you."

"Why would I play a game like that with you? Because I'm impulsive, jealous, clever, and kind of an asshole. I figured we'd established all that by now. Why would _you_ go all day acting like everything was perfectly normal. No, not even normal, 'cause you were-" He can't seem to keep his thoughts in a line, stammering until he finally just gets out, "Is that why you were laying it on so thick? Because you just had your first kiss with you recently not-dead _soulmate_ and didn't want your _boyfriend_ to suspect anything?"

"You were already being enough of an asshole, I didn't want to make things worse," Bucky snaps back. "You're not perfect and you roll around in that whenever it pleases you but neither am I. Yes, Steve is special to me and I've been in love with him for most of my life. No, I did not initiate shit with him nor do I plan on continuing anything. What the fuck do you want?!"

"I... I want..." He seethes and slams the plastic bottle down on the counter. "I don't know what I want, okay?! I want a bunch of shit that isn't realistic, and since I've never been a man terribly close to reality, this is _really_ hard to navigate. But it would definitely help if you could refrain from bullshitting me in the future. Were you even going to tell me?"

"Yes, once we would have gotten past whatever insecurities you've been grooming all day," he deadpans. "I didn't bullshit you in any way and I did **not** lay it on thick because I felt like I had to make up for anything. I just want you to be happy with me. Which you haven't been for a while now."

That makes him take pause, his voice calming. "What do you mean, I haven't been happy with you for a while now?"

"For the last three weeks, even before I found out they might have found Steve, you have not been at ease whenever we've spent time together. Always on edge, barely able to go down, sleeping badly, drowning yourself in work when you really don't have to... I've learned all of your defence mechanisms but it's hard to handle when you're using your walls to block **me** out, Tony."

"I..." He makes himself think rather than react. Blowing out a breath, he rubs his eyes and then heads for the couch. "You're my first real relationship, Bucky. You're the first person I've chosen for reasons that have nothing to do with the publicity:tolerability ratio. I'm, I've..." He takes a seat and looks up at Bucky, helplessness and fear tucked behind a swiftly-cracking mask. "You're the first person I've been in love with, and when SHIELD asked to borrow some old prototypes buried in Stark Industries, some stuff made to treat victims of really shoddy cryogenic freezing... I started to panic because I realized we didn't have a lot of time left."

"But why? Do you really think that badly of me? That I would drop you in a heartbeat?" While Tony's walls are crumbling, Bucky is starting to feel his own rising.

"Drop me in a heartbeat? No, that's not... You wouldn't be _just dropping_ me for Steve. Do you think I see it that way? I mean, okay, three months ago, I probably would have. But I get it now. I get what love feels like and I can only imagine spending decades bonding with you, then losing you, then getting you back. Even if I really cared about whoever I'd found in the meantime, I'd be with you again at all costs. I think you'll be with Steve at all costs, and I don't think that makes you bad."

What had been incredibly easy to say to Steve is still somewhat unspoken between them. But as Tony is speaking, Bucky realises that it's also right there. "I love you, too, Tony," he say softly.

Tony feels his throat go tight. He shakes his head and closes his eyes and whispers because his voice isn't working right all of a sudden. "No, you don't. Don't say things like that, it's just going to make all of this so much harder."

That is not the reaction he had hoped for nor one he had expected. Bucky swallows, face closing off. "Fine. I won't say it again, I'm sorry." He decides to grab a drink and pours himself a glass of vodka from the fancy bar cart in the corner.

He buries his face in his hands and tries to keep himself together. A million thoughts are running through his head, all some variation about how this was inevitable, that he's unlovable, and that he was stupid to let himself get wrapped up in this. Tears fall but he's silent as his psyche is trying desperately to deflect the pain and self-loathing, trying to find some way to push all of it outward.

Bucky is pretty much consumed by his own thoughts and insecurities for a while. He just stares at the clear liquid in his glass before he downs it in one go. Even if he can't hear Tony falling apart and crying, he can feel it. His partner is hurting and he doesn't know how to fix it.

"I don't know what to do. I lo- ..." He sighs and closes his eyes, still facing his glass. "You decided that I would leave you and you're acting like we're breaking up. Do you want that? Is that what's happening here? If I can't only love you I don't get to love you at all?"

"Why the hell wouldn't we be breaking up!?" Outlet found. "Or, what, you'll stick around because you and Steve will have plenty of time after I'm dead?" He scoffs darkly. "I'm not going to just wait around, scared, wondering when it's all going to disappear, if today will be the day you decide you can't live not being with him anymore. I'm in second place, Bucky, we all know that, and sooner rather than later, second place isn't going to be enough."

With a loud cracking noise, Bucky just breaks the whisky tumbler he had been using into pieces with his vibranium hand. The shards fall over the bar and the floor but he just wipes his palm on the wall and then turns around. Weird pictures are flashing in front of his eyes but he shakes the images or memories and focuses on Tony. "Fine." His voice is hard. Cold. Deeply hurt. "You wanna break up with me, I'm not going to stop you. If this is all that's left, do it. Tell me to get the fuck out of your life. Say it, Tony. Tell me to leave and I'll be gone."

He returns the look, challenging. "Tell me I'm second place. Tell me you're never going to stop wanting him while you're with me."

"I will never stop wanting him while I am with you. And I will never stop wanting you, when I'm with him," Bucky replies quietly. "I don't love easily. I never have, I never will. I didn't fall for you because I couldn't have him, I fell for you because you're you."

"So what are you going to do about that? How are you going to manage that? What's the fucking plan here, Bucky? Give me something."

"Nothing!" He snaps. "I'm with you and I won't dump you for him. You deserve better and I'm committed to you. End of story. Except you don't fucking believe in me, or us for that matter. Steve is happy if I'm happy. And I'm happy if you're happy. So why don't you try that for once?!"

"Because I can't believe that!" Tony snaps back. "I can't believe that you're happy with me when he's right there. I'm not stupid, I know I can't measure up." His voice is faltering. "I'm just, I'm not... I don't understand how you're still with me, half the time. It doesn't make sense that I could be that special to you. I don't know how to see it."

"Listen to yourself, for fuck's sake! You're throwing away _the one thing you've needed all your life and the only person you've been in love with_ because of your self-worth issues. I can't fix that, Tony! I've tried but apparently nothing I do is good enough." He's getting louder and louder, his whole energy changing.

"Well, can you... can you..." he's a loss. "I know, okay?! That's part of how I can't believe you're still with me! But... can you just _keep trying_?" Desperately, " _Please_."

"What do you think I'm doing here, you asshole?" Bucky growls softly but there's no heat behind it. "You're the one who started this."

Incredulous, "I started this? You're the one who kissed him!"

"He kissed me," Bucky insists. "You're the one who acted like I had signed divorce papers without telling you."

"Yeah, well... You try being... this," he gestures to all of himself, "with severely maladaptive coping skills and zero examples of healthy relationships in your personal life, then being in love with a really fucking hot super soldier who's in love with his infuriatingly gorgeous super soldier BFF! It's hard, okay? It's hard and it's not easy!"

"You're a fucking genius who constantly saves the world in a mechanical suit while I wake up at night, afraid that the nightmare of me killing thousands of people on command isn't a **memory**!"

"If you haven't figured it out by now, geniuses can be _really fucking stupid_. Case in point, everything I've done for the last thirty minutes!" Tony huffs. "And I didn't pull the trigger, but do you really think I don't feel responsible? You think ever since I made it out of that cave I haven't had nightmares about all the bombs and missiles and guns with-" He stops himself, swallows thickly, hand curling into a loose fist and voice getting quiet. "Sorry. Sorry, that's, I don't, I've wanted to talk about that but I don't want to do it like this."

"...With your logo on it that people like me used to murder innocent victims?" Bucky scoffs. "I'm not going to do a pity competition here. I'll keep trying but you have to, too."

"With my _name_ ," he correct bitterly. "I guess maybe we have more of the deep shit in common than I let myself think about," he says quietly. "Maybe Steve doesn't quite have the monopoly on that."

"Of course he fucking doesn't." He rubs his face. "You like him. You know you do."

"What?" Tony looks at him like he's crazy. "What in the hell... no. No, I don't. I love you, so I'm being nice to him. There is no way I like him. He's... well, I mean... you saw the way that..." He's coming up with absolutely nothing to complain about here. Steve’s done nothing wrong, he thinks. "It's just his whole vibe, okay? I don't like him," he insists.

Bucky smirks. "Yeah sure, you keep telling yourself that, Stark. But the truth is, no one can actually dislike Steve. That's his _true_ superpower."

"Well that right there is a reason to dislike him."

“What are you even talking about?"

"Everyone likes him? God, I hate guys like that. Never met a guy everyone likes that I didn't hate." Yep.

"You're so full of shit, Stark." Bucky just chuckles and finally comes closer, opening his arms slightly.

"Constantly," Tony agrees, letting his smile creep up ever so slightly but he's still feeling vulnerable and on-edge. Worried, "But what if I really don't like him?"

"He already likes you so you don't really have to worry about it. He'll do his best to get out of your way at any given time." And yes, he can safely say that because it's Steve.

"... Will we be okay if I don't like him?" It's all that matters.

"Yes. Will we be okay if I don't stop loving both of you?"

"I don't know yet," he admits honestly. "But I'll never expect you to."

If that's the best he can get right now, he'll take it. Bucky nods and pulls Tony against him for a kiss. "I love you."

Looking up at Bucky with nervousness and a desperate craving for validation, he asks, "Promise?"

"Promise."


	5. Chapter 5

"They're feeding me some line about how they can't get me set up with veterans' services anytime soon because the paperwork is a mess, and how they can't just let me go without me having some sort of plan. I told them I've got a place but they want... more, and I'm getting the distinct feeling none of this is legal. I mean it isn't, right, they can't actually keep me here?"

Tony had been in one of the very few board meetings he's attended in the last year, but even with as important as it was to be there and be present and be the CEO for once, the second Jarvis informed him he was getting a call from an unidentified SHIELD number, he was answering it and out the door because he knew it would be Steve.

"No. No, it's not legal, it's false imprisonment. What else are they asking for?" Not that it matters, they've still got no right, but Tony wants to keep Steve talking while he makes his way over there, purely to keep the guy from feeling more nervous than he must already be.

"Stuff that there's no way I could have. Like, employment? How am I supposed to have gotten a job if I'm not allowed to leave here?"

"Easy, you're supposed to take a job with them."

Steve sighs. "So, what do I do?"

"You hold tight. Watch some telly or something, have a snack, don't give it anymore thought. I'll have you out of there by this afternoon. You think you'll be ready to head straight to your new place? I can put you up in a hotel if you need some more time on that."

"Um..." This afternoon? Really? Steve sure hopes it’s all true. "No, no, I'm ready. I'm ready to go back home. Hey, is Bucky coming with you?"

"With me? Uh... um... yeah, I guess that probably would be easiest, huh? Yeah, I'll bring him." Now Tony feels awkward about the fact that he didn't think he was going to feel awkward dealing with Steve without Bucky. 

A few hours later, with Bucky in tow, they're back at the facility Steve and Tony first met. All three of them waited in Steve's room, Tony having been a huge asshole to every level of security and talked loudly about how they were taking Steve home on the way up here for the sole purpose of getting Nick's attention. Which worked. So with Steve and Bucky settled into a conversation, and Tony more comfortable around them than he expected to be for only the first visit, Tony is asked to step outside.

Nick and Tony speak in the hallway, Tony unwilling to go any further because "I don't trust you not to try some shit."

They argue and not terribly discreetly.

"You know I'm not gonna let you just walk him out of here, Stark."

"I know you don't have a choice, _Fury_. Steve wants to go home and this is still _technically_ a free country."

"Rogers doesn't _have_ a home. He got declared dead 60 years ago."

"Oh? Huh... See, weird thing about that..." Tony rolls his sleeve up, lets the hologram from his wrist PDA pop up. He spends a second navigating it and shows a screen to Nick. "Yeah, see here? This line? When I heard you pulled him out of the ice, I had my lawyers start fixing that. Then uh, heh, and _this_ I brought a hard copy of because I knew you'd try to bureaucrat me." He sets down his briefcase and gets a folder out. Nick looks wholly unamused. Tony hands over a piece of paper from the folder. "Here's a copy of the deed to his house. As you can see, it's officially owned by Sergeant Barnes and Captain Rogers. Go ahead and keep that copy for your records or whatever it is you've got to try to bullshit the fact that any of this is legitimate."

"That's all well and good, Stark, but it takes a lot more than a house to have a living. How's he supposed to provide for himself? I can't be responsible for putting yet another unemployed veteran out in the world."

"I'll take care of him," Tony says simply.

"You'll take care of him?" Totally disbelieving.

"Yeah. I'll pay for every one of his expenses until the day he dies, which will probably be long after I'm dead, if need be. Whatever has to happen for him to get out of here today."

"It's not that simple."

" _Bullshit_ , it's not that simple." His voice is starting to get a little vicious now.

"It's not that simple, Stark. What guarantee do we have that that's a permanent, or even a long-term temporary solution?"

"You want me to sign some sort of contract or something? What are you looking for here?"

"Employment."

"Fine! I'll give him a job. Steve Rogers, personal assistant to Tony Stark. He's got a job. We good now?"

" _Proof_ of employment. You have his W2 on hand in that folder?" He's looking a little smug now.

Tony exhales slowly, goes quiet and _vicious_ but still audible in Steve's room. "Look, Fury, I'm so in love with that man in there that I'm here fighting you to let the man he loves come home with him tonight. _To the house they shared when they were falling in love with each other_. I'm doing this for Bucky, and if you think for one **goddamn second** that that ends here, that it stops if I don't get to take Steve out tonight, that I _won't_ come raining down on you with all the lawyers half the world's wealth can buy, you're in for a nasty fuckin’ surprise. And I swear to God, if I have to go that route, if it takes even one more hour than I want it to to get him out of here, I'm not stopping there. I'm getting this whole bullshit organization dismantled and thrown to the wolves. _Don't fucking test me, Fury. Not today, not about this._ "

At first, Bucky tries to talk over the discussion that's happening outside but at some point it just starts getting silly. And then, Tony gets loud. 

Steve blushes right away but when he hears Tony call him the man Bucky loves, his face has a deep, dark shade of red. Of course he had known that before but hearing Tony say it is a whole new level of reality.

Bucky just tries not to make a big deal out of it, smiling his somewhat shy, somewhat helpless crooked smile. But he can't help but chuckle softly and rub over the back of his neck. "He's uhm.... he's amazing when he has a reason to be?"

Nick knows Tony isn't bluffing, he's seen plenty of times how reckless and stubborn he can be. This is, after all, the man he directly coached to keep his identity a secret, and then not even two minutes later, announced live to the world that he's Iron Man.

"Fine. Take him. But this isn't over, Stark. The Initiative is happening and he's going to lead it."

"Yeah, fine, whatever. Get your band of idiots together then we can all sit down and have a conversation about why that's still never happening." Tony doesn't wait for a response, just opens the door again. He's wearing a smile like that entire conversation was perfectly civil and happy. "Alright, kids, ready to go?"

Laughing softly, Bucky gets up. "Yeah, I'm good. Steve?"

The captain is still a little flustered but he nods, smiling brightly and gratefully at Tony. "Yeah, please take me home."

Tony gestures for the guys to take the lead, then graciously flips Fury off as he follows them all out.


	6. Chapter 6

A while later, Tony and Steve are left alone in the Brooklyn house. They need groceries and other supplies if they're suddenly going to be actually living here, and after Tony's display, this seems like the perfect time for Steve and Tony to take another step in the right direction together, so Bucky volunteered to go out alone to get things.

Tony hangs up the phone, having just ordered dinner, and smiles at Steve, quiet and starting to feel a bit awkward.

Steve however is feeling more and more comfortable around the guy. "Thank you so much. I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am for you handling all of this. I know you're doing it for Bucky but yeah... He's a lucky guy."

"Yeah," he tries to agree, tries to keep it in his head that it’s definitely all for Bucky. "I told him I would always take care of him and I meant it, and since taking care of him means taking care of you..." he shrugs. "You're set, too, I guess is what I'm saying. And, uh, sort of speaking of which, I had all your vital records put upstairs, figured you'd need them at some point. Birth certificate, certificate of enlistment, the house deed, all that." He really has already gone the extra mile for this guy...

"That's incredibly thoughtful of you, thank you," Steve says again. "If there's anything I can do to ever help you or repay you, please don't hesitate to tell me, Tony. You're family."

"I'll, um, keep that in mind." He rubs the back of his neck, clearly not used to the way Steve is simultaneously genuine and nice. "But, family? I mean, come on, we barely know each other."

"Bucky loves you, I don't need to know you to trust you," Steve says sincerely. "And I can already tell why he fell for you. You're a good man, Tony."

Tony laughs and shakes his head a bit. "Has he said that? That he loves me?"

"Bucky doesn't say things like that very often. But everything he does is proving it. I know him."

He sighs thoughtfully. "Yeah, I guess uh, if he didn't then he probably wouldn't have stopped you, huh? He wouldn't even still be trying."

Steve blushes. "I'm... I'm so sorry I did that. I promise it won't happen again, I respect you and I respect your relationship with him. I just... I don't know what came over me."

With a shrug, "I don't blame you. I would've done a lot worse and not felt bad about it."

Steve tilts his head and arches an eyebrow. "What would you have done?"

"As much as he would have let me, and I'd've pushed it."

Smiling crookedly, Steve shakes his head. "Have you ever truly tried pushing Bucky? Once he says no, it means no."

With an unintentional smirk, "No, I never have. Our relationship works on him pushing me. But I imagine if I were you, I'd have more leverage."

Steve blinks. "Him pushing you?" That is surprising but he doesn't really know what Bucky is like in a romantic relationship. "And leverage or not, he's with you and I'm not going to challenge that."

"I appreciate that." He's not really sure what else to say, this is so far removed from any situation he's ever had to navigate.

Steve doesn't either, so he tries a different route. "Why did you choose him? When you hired him, I mean?"

Thinking back on it makes him smile. "I recognized him. His arm was a personal project of mine, so I was familiar with his history and I guess in some weird way I found it attractive. I guess I knew I needed someone with baggage."

"Because you have baggage yourself?" Steve smiles as well. "Buck is good at taking care of people."

"A ton of it," he says with a laugh. "And he really gets how I need to be taken care of. He's a very physical person which is vital. That's why I was looking at escorts to begin with, actually. Someone comfortable going there fast was important."

Suddenly looking at his hands, Steve blushes. "Yeah, one more reason why you're better for him than me."

"Not your thing, huh? That's a shame. With hands like yours, I'm sure you'd be a natural."

"I..." His blush deepens. "I don't know what's my thing. I've never..."

"You've never...?" He grins. "Well fuck, Steve. That's... shocking, for one thing. Why not?"

He scoffs. "Do you have any idea what I looked like before the serum? Bucky dragged the girls to me two at a time but I could never make it work. And afterwards..." Steve shrugs. "There were more important things to do than dating."

"Who said anything about dating? I'm sure even in the 40s you could get some action without having to date."

"I didn't. Didn't really want to either.”

"Why, um... Why didn't you and Bucky...?"

"Because he was the biggest playboy and charmer in the whole world. I didn't think he'd be interested in men."

Tony laughs gently. "I guess that's another thing he and I have in common, then. I'm guessing he didn't think you'd be interested either?"

"Yeah. He saw me with Peggy and..." Steve shrugs, then rubs over his face. "I should have just asked but the idea of losing him completely was and still is absolutely unbearable."

That surprises him. "You thought he would have had that much of a problem with it?"

"Even if he had had a small problem with it... Him pulling away from me even a little bit..." Steve's eyes are showing his pain just at the idea. "I know it was stupid. That day when I lost him my whole world came crumbling down."

"I probably would have acted the same at your age. I wasn't much of a risk taker with things that mattered, not that all that much mattered. And I guess now you're just... left feeling like you missed your shot?"

He shrugs again. "My life isn't over yet, neither is his. We'll see." _But yes._

The more they talk, the more painfully apparent it becomes to Tony, the damage his presence is doing. The happiness he’s standing in the way of. As much as he thinks himself self-centered, greedy, soulless, and as far from romantic as it gets, he’s really none of those things. Not when push comes to shove. And this is eating away at him.

 

\--------------------------

When Bucky gets back, Tony and Steve help him get everything put away. Watching the soldiers interact again is just hammering home what he already knows he needs to do. It's eating away at him, so when the work is finished, Tony insists on going upstairs to speak with Bucky in private.

"What's wrong?" Bucky made sure not to be overly affectionate with Steve so he isn't sure what this is about.

"I can't do this," his voice is quiet but insistent. "I can't... I just, I can't, Bucky. This is so... it's _wrong_ and even I know that so it must be _really fucking wrong_."

He frowns, already getting defensive. "What did I do now?"

"You _have_ to be with him. You're, he's..." he exhales slowly. "You're meant to be, Barnes, and until three days ago I thought that was the most bullshit concept humanity has ever come up with. You have to be with him."

Stunned, Bucky just stares at Tony for a long moment. "The fuck is happening right now, Tony?"

"The way he talks about you, the way I can see him feeling, your history..." His features go soft and he gets close. "I want you, Bucky. I love you and I want you and I feel like I need you but..." Tony slips his hand into Bucky's. Concern is written on his face. "He deserves you. You deserve each other. I can't be in the way of that."

His voice is rough with emotion. "Tony... I... I do love you, too."

"I know. I know you do. And I don't want to lose you, but I'm not going to stop feeling guilty if I'm keeping you two apart."

"So... What am I supposed to do now? Are you breaking up with me? Are you giving me the pass to be with both of you?

Laughing nervously, "I... don't know, I didn't think that far ahead."

Bucky rubs his face. "I have a hard time believing that you're serious. What happened?"

"If I could show you how he looks when he's talking about you, you would understand," he says warmly.

"I don't doubt his love for me, I doubt you're in your right mind. Aren't you going to be miserable?"

"Probably?" He smiles, though, and squeezes Bucky's hand. "We'll figure it out. We will. I don't know what we should be doing but I know this isn't it."

For a moment, Bucky waits for the bubble to pop but then he nods. "Let me talk to Steve then."

"Yeah, okay. That sounds good. Just let me know what's going to work for you and... " another shrug. "I'm an adaptable guy."

Nodding and still trying to wrap his mind around the whole thing, Bucky leaves the room and goes downstairs to rejoin Steve in the kitchen. "Stevie?"

Steve smiles, a little nervous, and even a little more so seeing that Tony isn't behind him. "Everything, uh... what's wrong?"

"Tony has decided he can't live with the guilt of keeping us apart," Bucky tries to sum it all up. Even to himself he sounds like he's joking.

"Um..." he squints, trying to puzzle it out. "I didn't... I don't think I said anything that would..." Steve looks sort of helpless.

"No, you didn't do anything. He's just... I don't actually know what the heck happened." He gets a little closer. "Do you like him?"

He furrows his brow. "Yeah. Yeah, I do. It seems like he's not used to being liked, though."

Bucky snorts. "Hell no, he isn't." He gets even closer, fully invading Steve's personal space. "Will you be with me even if I'm also with him?"

"Yes." He's absolutely sure.

"I mean it, Steve. Can you share me? Because I love both of you and I'm too greedy and I have too many regrets not to take everything I want. Or at least try." They're almost touching now.

"You're with him and not me right now. My situation can only get better by us... being closer."

That's enough for Bucky to allow himself to finally act on his feelings. Cupping his best friends face with one hand, he backs him against the fridge and kisses him hard.

Steve moans softly into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Bucky's neck and keeping him close.

The first time had been wrong and out of his control. But this? This is all he's ever wanted and he makes the most out of it. A long, deep, sensual kiss that shows Steve exactly how amazing it can feel. 

Only when they both need a bit of air, Bucky pulls away, breathless, face glowing. "I love you."

"Bucky," he whispers, pupils big, heart racing. "I love you. More than anything." He can hardly help himself, he pushes in for another kiss, experimenting with his tongue this time.

Moaning, Bucky offers himself up for exploration, gently guiding Steve deeper and giving back what he gets. "There's... So much. So much I want to show you."

"I want you to teach me everything. I want you to teach me _you_."

"And I will, I promise." He links their fingers together and kisses Steve one more time. "Not right now though. We have to talk to Tony some more."

Weakly, he nods. "Yeah, okay. Whatever you say, Buck. I'm following your lead here."

Buck gently leads him upstairs where Tony is still sitting, pulling him into the room with their hands joined.

Tony has such strong, opposing feelings right now that he doesn't know what he's feeling or how to react.

Steve smiles bashfully.

Taking a deep breath, Bucky holds out his other hand for Tony. "Please?"

 _Anything for you, Buck,_ is definitely a sentiment both if his boys share without question. Tony steps close, flashes an awkward smile at Steve, then takes Bucky's hand.

Without hesitation, Bucky pulls him close and kisses him. "I want both of you. So if you'll both have me..."

"I don't want to think about my life without you, so..."

"Same here," Steve adds.

"I'll do my best to do right by both of you. I promise."


End file.
